Yonhap News Summary

The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Monday.

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(LEAD) Jeju Airport resumes operations after near 2-day shutdown

SEJONG/JEJU -- Jeju International Airport on South Korea's southernmost resort island resumed operations Monday after being shut down by heavy snow for some 45 hours, the government said.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said an Eastar Jet B737-700 passenger jet with 149 people on board took off safely at 2:48 p.m. after ground service personnel cleared the runway and removed ice and snow from the aircraft.

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(LEAD) Seoul shares end higher on eased global woes

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks closed higher Monday as major economies' pledge to extend stimulus measures and rising oil prices eased concerns over a global downturn. The local currency closed higher against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 14 points, or 0.74 percent, to end at 1,893.43. Trade volume was moderate at 311.41 million shares worth 4.01 trillion won (US$3.36 billion), with winners beating losers 622 to 188.

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Cold spell eases up in S. Korea

SEOUL/JEJU -- The cold snap that has paralyzed most of South Korea and stranded nearly 90,000 tourists on the country's resort island of Jeju began to ease up Monday afternoon, weather officials said.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said it has lifted a cold wave warning from 2:00 p.m and a cold wave advisory from 1:00 p.m from most parts of the country, including Jeju Island which was hit by the worst heavy snow in 32 years.

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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S., Japan pushing for talks among JCS chiefs

SEOUL -- South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to hold talks among their military chiefs in February, an official here said Monday, in the aftermath of North Korea's fourth nuclear test earlier in the month.

The three countries are pushing to hold a video conference next month among Gen. Lee Sun-jin, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and his American and Japanese counterparts -- Gen. Joseph Dunford and Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano -- a JCS spokesman said during a regular briefing.

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Gov't raises cyber alert level amid signs of N. Korean hack attacks

SEOUL -- South Korea raised its cyber alert level following the influx of malicious e-mails presumed to have originated from North Korea amid a spike in cross-border tensions after Pyongyang tested a fourth nuclear device early this month, the government said Monday.

The country's cyber alert was marked up one notch to "yellow" from the normal "blue," the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning said. It said authorities detected an increase in e-mails that impersonate government organizations, including the presidential office and the foreign ministry, as well as Internet portal managers.
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